Letter 4: [To Paulinus]
**To Paulinus** (382/84?)
That I did not perish, overwhelmed by a flood of misfortunes, I owe, after God, to Thalassius. I believe, then, that you too owe him a debt of gratitude for his devotion to my cause — and owing it, you would most gladly repay it.
It is in your power to repay him, without violating the laws, by restoring him as master of the land of which he has been stripped by some brazen fellow. It would be a fine thing for the wrongdoer to learn that even an absent man can obtain justice.
**To Themistius**
Leontius wished you to learn from me that he is loved by me. I say, then, that he is indeed loved, and justly so — for he is a good and intelligent man, and by honoring those who deserve honor, he considers himself honored in turn.
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Your letter was a feast, as your letters always are.
Our disagreement on the point you raised is, I think, less serious than it appears.
Your point about the kinship of our professions is well taken.
If this is how things stand, then necessity is stronger even than the gods, as the saying of the wise goes.